Obama Passes Off NAACP to Biden

Obama may be suffering from an enthusiasm gap among black voters this time around. Nevertheless, he is passing the baton to the Veep to address the 103-year-old NAACP at its annual convention.

“While blacks are expected to solidly back Mr. Obama again this year, he faces challenges in generating the same enthusiasm as in 2008,” while Mitt Romney is taking the time to address the group himself. “Mr. Romney will make a pitch to the nation’s premier civil rights group, the N.A.A.C.P., testing President Obama’s overwhelming support among black voters by trying to pry away some defectors with his pro-jobs message at a time of 14.4 percent unemployment among African-Americans.”

If Romney delivers a strong presentation and Biden leaves them with little more than a risque joke, the percentage of black voters who bother to pull the lever for Obama in November may be lower than expected.